Management Team
About Us
Management Team
Gert Potgieter
Executive Director
Although one of the world’s top hurdlers throughout his brief career Gert Potgieter is also remembered as an athlete whose attempts to win an Olympic title were thwarted by ill luck. Potgieter emerged as a major talent in 1956 and reached the Olympic final whilst still a junior. In contention for the medals coming down the final straight he mistimed his leap at the final hurdle, lost momentum and slipped back to sixth. In the next four years he continued his improvement and, in addition to winning 440 y hurdles and relay gold medals at the 1958 British Empire Games. set three world records at 440 y hurdles. A potential meeting between Potgieter and a trio of high class Americans led by [Glenn Davis] shaped up to be one of the highlights of the 1960 Olympic track and field programme but it was never to take place. A few weeks before the Games began Potgieter was involved in a serious car crash whilst in Germany.
He lost the use of an eye in the accident and the vision in the other was also damaged. On the day of the 400 m hurdles final he was still recuperating in a Heidelberg hospital. He recovered well enough to compete in the decathlon and won the 1966 South African title in the event but even if he could have resumed his career at the highest level South Africa had by then been barred from the Olympic Games. Although from the Afrikaner heartland of Pietermaritzburg Potgieter became involved in attempts to desegregate sport in his country and in 1988 helped to found the South African Olympic Academy, a fully non-racial body. In 1995 he founded an organization called Altus Sport, devoted to “spreading knowledge in the true spirit of sport” throughout Africa., Potgieter was voted South Africa’s Athlete of the 20th Century.
Altus Sport Executive Director to the board and founder of Altus Sport was appointed by the International Olympic Academy Participants Committee (IOAPA) as South Africa’s coordinator for 2023
Liana Laubscher
Managing Director
Travelled widely internationally concerning sport and recreation including Sessions on the Olympic idea and its values in Olympia, Greece. She is a professional tennis coach and wrote several publications on sport coaching and Olympic Education. Currently she is an Executive Member of the Tshwane Sport Council and a member of the Gauteng Coaches Commission. She is a qualified sport facilitator, assessor and moderator at ETDP-SETA.
SAMANTHA PENNELLS-INGLE
PROJECTS AND MEL MANAGER
Has always had a passion for children and working in the outdoors. Not only has she excelled in sports like athletics, netball and cricket but she has also represented South Africa numerous times in Clay Target Shooting from the age of 16 years old. Through hard work and training she also received Tshwane University’s Sport Woman of the Year in 2009. She is also a registered facilitator, assessor and moderator that has a passion for training leadership and personal development of youth. Samantha is also a qualified ARA Facilitator (Outdoor & Recreation) and has focused a lot of her experience through leadership training, corporate teambuilding’s and workshops around Africa.
Zi Teffo
Programmes Manager
He studied Political Leadership and Citizenship and wanted to make a meaningful change in people’s lives. His motto in life is that if you have not helped a soul out of the goodness of your heart and expecting nothing in return, you have not yet lived.
Miranda Dlamini
EVENTS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP MANAGER
Miranda is one lady that worked herself up the ladder. She first started as an youth sport leader, then coordinator and now in management. She studied Basic Ambulance Assistance and is a qualified swimming instructor and lifeguard. She is very passionate about her work in the communities. Her inspiration in life is to be a good role model to the young orphan mothers out there , because optimism is faith that leads to achievement
Ronel Bekker
Financial Manager
Throughout most of my life, figures have been a constant presence. Growing up with a mother who was a bookkeeper, our dinner table often played host to her ledgers, large books, and a calculator adorned with long strips of paper. The world of numbers fascinated me from an early age. After completing my matriculation at a Commercial High School many years ago, I seamlessly continued along that path, gaining valuable lessons from the University of Life.
For over thirty years, I have served as a Bookkeeper and Financial Manager. My journey began in the corporate realm, where I steadily climbed the professional ladder. In 2013, I transitioned to the NGO sector, a move that exposed me to a new world of challenges and opportunities. This shift has instilled in me a profound sense of gratitude, knowing that I can contribute my expertise to a sector that truly needs and deserves it.